ANTS in space?

Abstract

Inspired by the accomplishments of social insects, and perhaps disappointed by the failures of conventional robots, NASA is planning to send a swarm of miniature spacecraft to explore the Asteroid Belt. The collective intelligence of the swarm – to be composed of hundreds of tiny, independent spacecraft called ANTS (‘Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm’) – will be based on that of earthbound species, such as ants and wasps. After traveling to the Asteroid Belt, the ANTS will assume different roles: some will act as rulers, others as messengers, but most will be workers. Each worker will carry a single instrument, such as a magnetometer or a gamma-ray sensor, and will perform a single specified task. The collective nature of the swarm is supposed to make the system robust: the loss of a few spacecraft will not cripple the mission. By performing their tasks individually but later swapping knowledge, the ANTS will behave as a single, extended organism, more intelligent that the sum of its parts. Perhaps the real challenge is whether the same be said of the NASA research group… MW